


For You Now

by o2prism



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Romance, Yearning, implied infidelity, secret love affair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:13:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24263395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o2prism/pseuds/o2prism
Summary: "The perfectly painted red lips she wanted to kiss seemed to mock her, but Seulgi knew better than to make a move. Joohyun and her were playing a one-sided game of chess, and only the elder could move the pieces."The meadow, the old oak tree and the breeze were the only witnesses to Seulgi’s and Joohyun’s Wednesday afternoons.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kang Seulgi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	For You Now

**Author's Note:**

> hi! back again with a new thing  
> i haven't written in the longest time so this was a little warm-up exercise  
> i hope you enjoy!!!

On Wednesday afternoons one could find Seulgi underneath the old oak tree. She sat against the sturdy bark, checkered blanket under her, watching time go by. Her back was perfectly straight against the tree, jet-black hair pulled up in a ponytail, a colourful ribbon holding it together. She was often accompanied by a book, her slim fingers flipping through the pages. Time seemed to still at the meadow, the hours flying, carried by the gentle breeze. Seulgi's only companions were her books and the birds, who occupied the branches of the tree she took refuge under. Sometimes, though, she had a different kind of company.

Joohyun was alluring. She reminded Seulgi of the heroines in her books - a paradoxical beauty. She was as gentle and graceful as a dove, fooling the world around her into thinking she was just another beautiful girl. Rich brown eyes bore a look of aloofness, hiding what the woman keep hidden under lock and key. There was a delicate balance between her innocent appearance and the secretive look in her eyes.

Joohyun would come by the old oak tree whenever she pleased. Seulgi quickly learned not to expect her presence. Sometimes weeks would go by without a glimpse of the dainty woman. She always kept others at an arm's length, never quite letting people in. Even though their time together would often be spent in silence, Seulgi felt like she knew Joohyun better than anyone else in the town.

So Seulgi waited, hands in her lap, tightly grasping her books, the shadowy figures of the leaves dancing against her deep blue dress. She felt it in her heart that Joohyun would come. Her prayers were answered when she saw a figure approaching. Dark black hair was striking against milky skin, framing her small face neatly. Red lips stretched into a pleasant smile when she came close to Seulgi.

"Good afternoon." Joohyun was a woman of few words, and the simplest of phrases made Seulgi's chest feel tight. 

"Good afternoon, Joohyun." Seulgi scooched over to make space for the new visitor. This was a mere formality, for she knew Joohyun's favoured spot was on her lap.

Joohyun kneeled beside her, lowering herself until her head rested perfectly against Seulgi's tighs. She was wearing a red and white striped dress, and Seulgi wondered if her husband had bought it for her. Joohyun's eyes surveyed Seulgi's face, taking in every detail. During moments like these, Seulgi felt translucent, like the other woman could see right through layers and layers of skin, muscles and ligaments. At the meadow, Seulgi was completely bare to the other elder woman.

"What are you reading?" Joohyun always asked the same question, even on days Seulgi brought a book she had already talked about. 

"I've already told you about this one." 

"Tell me again." Joohyun looked up at her with a complacent smile on her face. Only a fool would say no to that smile, and Seulgi knew Joohyun liked to exploit that fact.

Seulgi carefully launched into an in-depth explanation of her current read. She was always scared she would tire the other woman, but Joohyun never showed the slightest hint of annoyance. One might take the look on her face as disinterest, but Seulgi knew she was listening. After she was done, they quickly settled into a comfortable silence, the birds who habited in the oak tree served as their only company.

༻✦༺

The perfectly painted red lips she wanted to kiss seemed to mock her, but Seulgi knew better than to make a move. Joohyun and her were playing a one-sided game of chess, and only the elder could move the pieces. It seemed a move was about to be made on the elder's part, as Joohyun slowly rose to a sitting position beside her.

"I'm going to kiss you, Seulgi." They had kissed countless times before, but Seulgi still felt her palms dampen with perspiration. Her heart hammered rapidly in her chest as slender hands cupped her delicate cheeks.

Kissing Joohyun felt like getting struck by an arrow right in the sternum. The feeling was gradual, creeping through her chest, starting at the entry wound, and slowly enveloping her entire body. Soft lips moved against her own, making her whimper with pleasure. All too soon it was over, and Seulgi opened her eyes to be met with Joohyun's mournful gaze. It was as if the sight of the woman in front of her pained her. She dragged her thumb across Seulgi's flushed cheek, eyes focusing intently on the small freckles that dotted her small nose.

"You're so beautiful." 

Seulgi's shaky hand moved to cover the hand that cradled her jaw, soft skin against soft skin. "You're so beautiful." She repeated the words, feeling like they were much more fitting for Joohyun. A rosy flush tainted the other's cheeks, and a small smile graced her lips, all traces of pain leaving her eyes. A soft giggle left her mouth as she pulled Seulgi back into another kiss, her smile only getting in their way a little. 

This time Seulgi was the one to pull back first, taking Joohyun's lower lip in between her teeth. Placing a quick peck against the elder's lips, Seulgi settled back against the tree. She promised herself she wouldn't get addicted to Joohyun's affection. Pulling away was an act of self-preservation, and Joohyun seemed to understand that. Settling her head back into Seulgi's lap, she hummed a tune, letting the notes be carried by the brisk breeze. 

"My mother introduced me to another one of her friends' son's." Seulgi was 26 and unmarried, something practically unheard of. It brought great pain to her mother, but Seulgi didn't want to be trapped in a loveless marriage. She had promised Joohyun she wouldn't allow that to become her life. 

"And? Was he nice?" On the afternoon's they didn't bask in each other's silent presence, Seulgi would fill the air with stories of her mother's matchmaking attempts. Joohyun always listened attentively. 

"He was."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"He wasn't you." The air around them grew heavy, despite the light breeze.

Joohyun chuckled sorrowfully, "That can't be his biggest flaw."

"He also didn't like to read."

"We can't have that, now can we?"

Regretfully, he wasn't the man for me. I wish my mother better luck next time."

"You know she will keep trying until the day she dies, right?"

"Luckily for her, I'm a well-read woman, so I know a million different ways to say no."

The laugh that left Joohyun startled Seulgi and the birds above them. It was the loudest sound she had ever heard Joohyun make, completely going against her calm and collected image. As Joohyun chortled, Seulgi dedicated a whole subsection of her brain to store the precious sound. When old age took away her beloved memories, she wished that sound was the only thing to escape the clutches of time.

A soft  _ "hey" _ brought her out of her trance and Seulgi looked down to meet Joohyun's eyes. Joohyun was a very beautiful woman, but like this, with her hair splayed all over Seulgi's lap, chest rising and falling with laughter, she was the most stunning sight on earth. Seulgi gave her the brightest smile she could muster, the weight of their circumstances constricting her breathing, and softly caressed her delicate tresses. She couldn't let anything taint the small haven they had built for themselves at the meadow, so she cleared her throat, and bent down to place a small kiss on the tip of Joohyun's nose, quickly sobering up the giggling woman, who smiled back.

༻✦༺

The hours ran by, the sky turning a warning shade of orange. It was time to shatter the little glass bubble they were in. Joohyun rose from her place in Seulgi's lap, placing a quick peck on her cheek as a token of gratitude. Joohyun was back to being cold and aloof, but Seulgi knew what she looked like when she blushed. She had memorized the sound of her giggles floating through the wind, and she knew what was behind that stone wall she had built around herself. And has she watched Joohyun straighten her dress and run a hand through her midnight black hair, Seulgi felt like she was the luckiest person on earth.

"Send my regards to your husband." Seulgi felt a sick little pleasure when she mentioned the elder's husband. She knew Joohyun didn't kiss him like she kissed her. She knew the other woman didn't cradle his face in her hands and caressed his skin with the utmost care in the world. She knew she didn't look at him like he was the most precious being in the world.

At the mention of her husband, Joohyun's eyes turned cold, a frown taking over her face. It was almost as if she had forgotten about the man that was waiting for her at home. Her wedding band felt constricting around her finger. 

"Will do." Seulgi knew she wouldn't. To Joohyun's husband, Seulgi was an old school friend she visited from time to time, not important enough to be mentioned more than a couple of times.

Joohyun treasured their afternoons at the meadow more than anything in the world, wishing she could exist in a continuous loop where they never ended. Her heart ached as she straightened her dress once again and bid Seulgi a silent goodbye, slowly walking away from their haven. But for the first time, their goodbye wasn't a silent one. "Come back to me, okay?" Seulgi finally had the courage to ask. Joohyun looked back at her, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a tiny smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading


End file.
